12616 (2026). Teanau Tuiono to the Minister of Defence

Written Question

Published date: 21 Apr 2026

Metadata

Document type:	Written Question
Parliament number:	54
Question number:	12616 (2026)
Question asked:	06 Apr 2026
Member asking:	Teanau Tuiono
Portfolio:	Minister of Defence
Minister replying:	Hon Chris Penk
Answer received:	15 Apr 2026
Status:	Question Answered
Reply type:	Reply
Document ID:	WQ_12616_2026
Document guid:	41fd0b0c-6c16-4de1-a21a-fd2d946f871a

12616 (2026). Teanau Tuiono to the Minister of Defence: Further to PWQ 8287 Does the Minister consider that any current or proposed bicultural initiatives within the armed forces have been appropriately consulted, do not detract from combat capability, and do not exclude any personnel and if so how and if not why not?

Hon Chris Penk: The primary role of the NZ Army is to be a combat capable and fighting fit army. Any decisions related to a bicultural policy need to be fully and appropriately consulted, must not be at the expense of delivering the core military outputs that taxpayers expect and must not exclude any member of our defence force.